Leon Stevens's Blog, page 90

Year End Wrap-up: Lines by Leon – Wrapped

Ever wonder which one of my blog posts has been read the most?
Nope.
I’m going to tell you anyway.
I thought you might.

Top Posts for 2022

Let’s start with one of my favorites (and apparently your least favorite of your favorites) which was my Weird Wednesday post on spam:

Weird Wednesday: Spam, Spam, Spam, Wonderful Spam.

What is weirder is that I did not include my weekly cartoons in that post.

My feature on Kodaline for Music Monday had 19:

Music Monday: Songs you might want to hear – Kodaline

Tuesday Tirade (or Tuesday Tidbits if I was in a good mood) usually received 15-26 reads. Amazon was definitely the topic of the year, but my thoughts on book cover design edged out one of my rants:

Tuesday Tidbits: Under the Covers

Thursday Tirade: Amazon (yes, them again)

My Weekend Wrap-ups were popular with 16-30 views. For some reason this short one had the most:

Weekend Wrap-up Jan 21: And now the good news . . .

Many of my conversations with other authors garnered between 20-50 views but the overall winner with 55 was:

Free Book Friday August 24: In Conversation with Claire MaCague

And coming in with 314 views (and it’s the first three digits of Pi):

Funny Friday: Humorous Poems

And finally, in no particular order, these are the cartoons that made me laugh:

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

Free Book Friday Dec 30: Ch-ch-ch-changes.

As of today, my short story collection, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, is no longer available on Kindle Unlimited. I took it out so that I can offer it for free for any one who signs up for my weekly newsletter. It is still available to purchase on Amazon (and you are welcome to), but I thought it was time to change up my promotions.

Newsletter link: The Knot at the End of the Rope
Amazon link: The Knot at the End of the Rope

The Poetry Page

Science Fiction Books

The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.

Sales/Purchase links StoryOrigin Promo

No, you are not seeing double. This one is a Bookfunnel promo

BookFunnel See previous promos here: Discover New Authors and Free Books

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

The Editing Process #amwriting — Life in the Realm of Fantasy

Self-editing is not an easy task. As a rule, I don’t recommend it because we authors see what we want to see. However, hiring an editor is out of reach for some people, and we will discuss that further in the second half of this article. The publishing world is a rough playground. Editors for […]

The Editing Process #amwriting — Life in the Realm of Fantasy

Weird Wednesday Dec. 28: Almost year-end.

Do you like year end lists? Do you set goals for the new year? Resolutions? Sorry. You don’t have to answer that. I’m just rambling. I can’t remember the late time I made a New Year’s resolution, and I set goals throughout the year. So I got that covered. 

Is it be selfish to say my goal for 2023 is to sell more books? Being an author, I don’t think it is. I do have the goal to finish the last book in my sci-fi trilogy and have it published in April. It is available for presale, so you get it as soon as it is released.
 

It is currently in the beta reading stage, with my team searching out plot errors and inconsistencies. In the previous book, one of my readers pointed out that April was apparently walking on rocky ground in bare feet because I forgot to have her put her boots back on. Sorry, April.

Advance review copies will be available soon as well. Send me an email if you are interested in being an early reviewer. 

I also have to record the guitar music for the video epilogue I created a for anyone that finishes the trilogy. That’s kinda different, huh? I finished the interview I did with Thomas and April, so that will be available as well.

-Leon

My newsletter goes out on Wednesdays:

Lines by Leon Newsletter: Dec 28

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

Weekend Wrap-up Dec 24: Christmas Eve

I posted this song on Monday, but it’s worth including today.

Whether you celebrate any of the holiday traditions or use this time to just reconnect with loved ones, be safe, be kind, and enjoy the last few days of 2022.

This week on my blog:

Free Book Friday Dec 23
Weird Wednesday Dec. 21: Shortest (or longest) day of the year.
Music Monday Dec 19: When Does Christmas Begin?

These promos started today and runs until Dec 31:

BookFunnel
StoryOrigin

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

Free Book Friday Dec 23

Is promoting the work of other authors a lot of work?

Yes. But it is worth it. Each writer has a readership, but those readers are not only going to read one author’s books exclusively. As a perk for signing up for a newsletter, readers get exposed to authors they may never have heard of before.

I might not read every book and I leave it up to the reader to decide whether to check out a book from a different author.

-Leon

Works by Leon Stevens:

The Poetry Page

Science Fiction Books

The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.

Featured Author: Kayelle Allen

Kayelle Allen writes Sci-Fi Romance (both straight and LGBTQ+), with mythic heroes, immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She is a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she’s tenured. Does she write happy ever afters? Some stories require endings that offer happy-for-now, or hopeful-for-the-future. But all Kayelle Allen books provide an ending that satisfies, and never leave you dangling over a cliff.

Free Books Kindle Unlimited Last weekPurchase/Sales Links See previous promos here: Discover New Authors and Free Books

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

Free Book Friday Dec 23:

Is promoting the work of other authors a lot of work?

Yes. But it is worth it. Each writer has a readership, but those readers are not only going to read one author’s books exclusively. As a perk for signing up for a newsletter, readers get exposed to authors they may never have heard of before.

I might not read every book and I leave it up to the reader to decide whether to check out a book from a different author.

-Leon

Works by Leon Stevens:

The Poetry Page

Science Fiction Books

The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.

Featured Author: Kayelle Allen

Kayelle Allen writes Sci-Fi Romance (both straight and LGBTQ+), with mythic heroes, immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She is a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she’s tenured. Does she write happy ever afters? Some stories require endings that offer happy-for-now, or hopeful-for-the-future. But all Kayelle Allen books provide an ending that satisfies, and never leave you dangling over a cliff.

Free Books Kindle Unlimited Last weekPurchase/Sales Links See previous promos here: Discover New Authors and Free Books

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

Weird Wednesday Dec. 21: Shortest (or longest) day of the year.

Since I live in the northern hemisphere, I’ll stick with what I know.

If you are trying to get your RDI of vitamin D from the sun, you are out of luck. Science says: If your shadow is longer than your height then the sun’s rays are to weak for your body to effectively produce the vitamin.

Ok, that makes sense, but considering that in the middle of winter even if the sun is blazing in the noon sky, and your shadow is 3/4 of your height, only about 0.05% of our skin is exposed (boots, snow pants, parka, mitts, scarf, toque*, the point is moot.

But from here on out, the days get longer a few minutes at a time.

*toque: pronounced – two/k (winter wool beanie hat, but toque is funner to say)

My newsletter goes out on Wednesdays:

Lines by Leon Newsletter: Dec 21

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Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

Music Monday Dec 19: When Does Christmas Begin?

There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.

Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it.

Maybe you will find a new favorite.

CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music

When does Christmas begin? Acc—
Am I supposed to answer that?
No. It’s my lead-in to the post.
Oh. Sorry.

According to facts:

Globally, 45% of people engage in some sort of Christmas festivity.

From: Facts

For many it is of religious significance, for others it is a time to get together until we annoy each other enough that out comes the “airing of the grievances” and a full blown “Festivus”* is achieved.

Music is a big part of Christmas. Seems like every musician’s right of passage is to record something for that holiday. Here is something to ponder for a brief moment before continuing:

“All albums of Christmas music are Christmas music albums but not all Christmas music albums are albums of Christmas music.”

What’s that supposed to mean?
I don’t know, I just made it up. Ponder away.

Back to the original question. I think Christmas begins when you hear that first Christmas song, not when Costco puts out the decorations, otherwise we’d be celebrating in September.

You might like the traditional carols, or the made up ones to make money [cough] (Mariah), but my go to song for the first playing is Don Ross’s arrangement of Gustav Holtz’s In the Bleak Midwinter. There is no video, but you can stream it here or on Spotify:

The album contains arrangements of other tradition carols and is well worth the price.

-Leon

*Festivus is a non-religious holiday, started by Daniel O’Keefe in 1966 and popularized by “Seinfeld” in a 1997 episode written by his son, Dan O’Keefe.

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!

Weekend Wrap-up Dec 17: Lessons Learned

For three years, my first book, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, was available wide but I have decided to move exclusively to Amazon*, since I made very few sales on the other book channels.

Yes, I made the rookie author mistake of paying to publish my book, but at the time I knew absolutely nothing about the self publishing process, so that seemed to be my best option. … what’s done is done. They did all the work and distribution plus made available David Chilton’s self publishing webinar which provided valuable information.

I assumed I owned the ISBNs (why wouldn’t I, I paid for them), but was informed that was not the case. Now I have to re-publish my books, but knowing what I didn’t know then makes it much easier.

I did find out an interesting fact: One of the perks of being a Canadian author is that we can get free ISBNs (the other is the free healthcare thing). Now, why did I not look this up for three years?

I was also able to reformat my eBook to bring down the file size by compressing the illustrations, thus lowering Amazon’s delivery cost (they already take 30% royalty, greedy bastards), so now it’s only $0.55 (it was over $1). For comparison, my novella with twice as many pages and no illustrations has a $0.06 delivery fee.

I also slipped in a bonus cartoon at the end (shhh).

My main concern is getting the reviews and ratings linked now it has a new ISBN, and It was confirmed that this will not be a problem. My cursor hovered above the “publish my book” button on my KDP dashboard, and with mild trepidation … I clicked.

Now I wait. And while I’m waiting, I’ll got onto publishing the paperback. You don’t have to wait, though:

*Yes, despite all the complaining.

This week on my blog:

Free Book Friday Dec 16: How much is too much?
Weird Wednesday Dec.14
Music Monday Dec 12: Travis and Special Guest

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Book Two the The View from Here trilogy is now available: The Second View

Not ready to purchase? Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free book of your choice:

Oh, pick me! (only available here and on KOBO) C’mon, space stuff!